I was just wondering if anyone else out there shares cultures (like kefir grains and scobies and such). I met someone who wanted to buy some milk kefir grains off me and I refused to let her buy them. I thought I should just share them since they multiply fast and it seems odd to sell them. Now I was looking on craigslist for water kefir grains and a lady told me she'd sell them for $10 a half teaspoon! I thought it was quite greedy. I understand sometimes you buy the stuff online, but to recoup your costs by selling the multiples?! Am I the only one who finds it really sad that you cannot share some surplus with others ?

It depends on who it is. I share with family, friends, people I've been chatting with. I have offered to sell some to total strangers and by sell I mean offered to trade them for some of the produce out of their garden. And $10 for that little bit seems very high. There are a lot of people around here who sell online.

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I lost the thread, lol. So I am not the only one who thinks about actual sharing of cultures. I thought for buying, it is one thing if you buy from a company with reputation and support but for someone on craigslist, it just seemed odd.

That does sound weird to me. I wouldn't buy them from someone I didn't know. I would offer them to anybody who wanted them. If a friend gave me something like that, I was reciprocate with a small gift (cookies, jam) as a thank you, but not money. Related, I'm about to make a large purchase of heirloom seeds, then harvest them at the end of each season from my produce. Since I hope to end up with hundreds, I plan to distribute them for free with the request that it be passed forward. Same with strawberry runners that I plan to cut and pass along to a neighbor.

Milk kefir grains do survive mailing,if you are careful. The best way is to bag them in a small ziploc with a little milk,then bag it again(jic). Send it priority on a Monday to make sure the package doesn't get stuck at a post office on the weekend.

I just started my water kefir grains a week ago and I know I'll either be sharing or possibly freezing extras soon. I can't imagine charging for something I got free and multiplies for free. It's like Amish Friendship bread but cheaper and less putsy.

My friends share a 1/4 c starter grains, so buying smaller amounts sounds ridiculous unless it's dehydrated? That does take time, and she probably wants something for her efforts to provide for strangers. But when it comes to friends and family, put it in a baggie and hand it over. Giving the gift of wellness!

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